That is, until a lifeguard on San Diego's Mission Beach spotted a 18-inch dorsal fin skimming along the water around noon on Thursday, attached to what he reckons was a "12-to-15-foot" Great White Shark. The beach was immediately evacuated, and then a search mission was undertaken:

Lifeguards in three motor launches and two personal watercraft were patrolling the waters near the shore, attempting to locate the shark. A helicopter was also searching for the fish.

All together now: "We're gonna need a bigger boat."

By the way — has anyone seen those San Diego beach nudists lately? To a shark, a lot of them look a lot like a tempting slab of people jerky. [KTLA, photo via Shutterstock.com]